Improvement in electro-magnetic indicators



2 sheets sheet' 1.

I w. 1); SMITH. ELEGTROMAGNETIG INDICATOR.

No. 111,394. Patented Jan. 31,1871.

. 2 Sheets-Sheet 2. I W. D. SMITH. ELECTROMAGNETIC INDICATOR.

No. 111,394. Patented Jan. 31, 1871.

mg mums PETERS co. mom-urns wAsr-uwmom n cy 7 than Santa 1 pear dffim Letters Patent No. 111,394. dated January 31, 1871.

IMPROVEMENT I N ELECTRO-MAGNETIC INDICATORS.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and makin part of rh eame.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Wnsnny' 1). Shirl-I, of the city of \Vashington and District of Columbia, have invented certain Improvements in Electrical Indicators, of which the following is a specification.

The object of this invention is to furnish a ready and accurate means for transmitting intelligence from one place to'anotheii e. r transmitting in a capitol from one point therein (as a senate chamber) information of the business being transacted by a legislative body to any other place in the building, (as an assembly chamber, or various committee rooms,) so that a legislator while absent from his seat, but within the building, may have notice when his presence is .necessary to vote upon any particular bill, or to engage in any other public business Thus, by placing twoindicators in each committee room, and one indicator in an assembly, and another I indicator in a senate chamber, the proceedings of the respective bodies can be made known to each other, and also to all of the committees, or in any other part of the building where two indicators may be placed.

Or, with slight modification, this instrument can be equally adapted for use in.hotels, factories, stockhoards, government departments, or any other place where it is desirable to indicate intelligence in any one place, or in several places simultaneously.

Figure I, plate 1, is a front elevation of an elect-rical indicator.

Figure II, plate 1, is a rear elevation thereof, showing the working of the escapement which operates the indicating hands.

Figure III, plate 1, shows the key of the bell-alarm and the arms for controlling the electric current; it also shows upon dials the intelligence to bc-trausmitted by the operator to corresponding dials arranged for observation.

Figure IV, plate 1, shows a sectional elevation of a metallic ring with non-conducting surfaces arranged, preferably, upon the circumference of the dial, which, in connection with an arm revolving thereon whenever intelligence is indicated, closes and opens the electric current.

Figure V, plate 2, is a side sectional elevation of the electrical indicator. surmounted by a common telegraph sounder, and showing in detail the arrangement of the escapements and shafts for revolving the indicating hands or surfaces. I

Figure VI, plate 2, is a plan view of the indicator for showing the relative position of the magnets and escapements.

Figure VII, plate 2, shows which arm is used to op erate'any particular hand or indicating surface, and also the key to operate the alarm or sounder.

Figure VIII, plate 2, is a modification of the dial shown in fig. 1, where two hands ar'eemployed.

Figure IX, )late 2, is a modification of fig. III.

The intelligence to be indicated is represented, fig. I, upon a dial, A, or it may be placed upon a revolving wheel or cylinder, 4', located within the box K, which contains all the operating mechanism of the indicator.

Pointers, 0 and I, designate the particular inform ation communicated, or it is shown through apertures in the hon.

Electro-magnets, I, are placed within the box, fig. II, so as to move the escapement which communicates motion either to a pointer upon the dial or arevolving surface behind the aperture in the box.

There are as many magnets and escapements employed as there are separate revolving surfaces and pointers.

The escapenient, with its attachments, an armaturelever and retracting spring, is an'important feature in this invention, for by a successive closing and opening of the electric current a continuous motion is imparted to the escapement without the aid of any other mechanism.

As soon as the armature j'is attracted by the passage of the current around the electro-n'iagnet I, the lever e, attached to it by means of a slot and pin (5, so moves the escapelnent that one of its pallets, it, enters the escape-wheel a, thus propelling this wheel one tooth. Upon breaking the current a retracting spring, a, causes the other pallet 13 to enter the es cape-wheel and propel it another tooth in the same direction. The revolution of the'esc'ape-wheel carries with it a shaft upon which is secured an indicating pointer.

But it is designed to use two or more hands whenever the instrument is brought into practical use.

For this purpose other magnets, fig. V, and escapemcnts, with their attachments, are employed, while over the main shaft h, which turns one hand, 0, only, are arranged hollow sleeves or. upon which to secure additional pointers, P.

It is evident that as many hands can be employed upon the dial as there can be placed complete sets of magnets and escapements between the front of the instrument and the upright bar I which supports the arm0r-levcr,pallets, escape-wheel, e h a, and shaft k, that turns the long hand.

\Vhenever an indicating surface or pointer is revolved, a separate magnet and escapctuent, with its attachments, must be used, all of which is done by merely duplicating this simple mechanism, thereby dispensing with most of the train-worlg common to indicators.

Clock-work cannot be used in this instrument, for

all the indicators must be so constructed that they can be operated separately and kept independent of each other. In clock-work this cannot be done,f0r the diferent parts are inseparably joined together, making one portion of its mechanism dependent upon another.

In this instrument it is indispensable that the indicators be so constructed that any one of them can be operated alone,at will, without any other one being controlled in the least or operated at the same time.

This is accomplished by my method of operating with an open circuit, the current beingclosed when an indication is to be made through that circuit alone awhich corresponds tot-he indicator which it is intended to operate.

Communication is established in the usual manner with an electric battery and the several electro-magnets controlling the indicators of the instrument K and aboard, L, fig. III, whereon are placed as many revolving arms or common telegraph keys 0 as there are separate portions of the instrument to be controlled by the operator.

In the drawing revolvingarms are represented as the means for closing and opening the electric cur rent, they revolve over and rest upon a metallic surface, in which is set a non-conducting substance, so that the surface of the ring is divided into alternate conducting and non-conducting spaces.

The manner of establishing the connections is illustrated in fimIII of the accompanying drawing, and is as follows:

From the zinc pole of the battery a wire passes to the binding-screw, fig. III, from thence independent wires pass to each circuit-closer, thence to its respective electro-magnct, thence to screw 5, fig. II, and thence to the other pole of the battery. It is obvious that when the circuit is closed on any one of these branch circuits the other circuits will not be affected.

Whenever the arm is at rest it is intended for the said arm to be in contact with a non-conducting surface, and whenever one indicator is set the electric current is open, thus leaving the current free to act upon any other part of the instrument which it may be desired to operate.

Either hand can be made to pointlto any space in on the dial, but, as has been heretofore remarked, it is intended to use two or more indicating hands, which may be of different colors or forms, so as to make two or more indications at the same time.

For example, a legislative body is considering a cer tain bill, the number of which may be shown through apertures in the box. One hand may show whether it is an assembly or senate bill, while the other hand may indicate-what disposition is being made of it; as referred, recommitted, passed, lost, 850. Vhile the bill is pending if a member should move a suspension of the rules so that its consideration might be continued out of its regular order, other hands may show intervening legislation, while the two hands (first described) may remain to indicate thelast action upon the bill. I

In order to do this, and, at the same time, to have the indications made and the current always .open, it

' is necessary to set one hand at least one space in rear of the other, for when any one hand points to all the indications which can be made upon the dial-plate, the current must be closed and opened upon the alternate indications.

If both hands should be made to start from the same point, and it were desirable to make all the indications that could be made with each indicator at the same instant, the current would be so divided with a single battery that some of the indications would be imperfect ;therefore, it is essential whenever an indication is made that the current should be open so that the current is free to work accurately any other portion of the instrument and only require one battery.

\Vhenever the instrument is set to communicate intelligence an alarm-bell, M, is sounded to give notice of that fact.

A common sounder, N, is employed so that a telegram may be sent if desired.

In building this instrument for use it should be constructed with double walls filled with any well known material which is a non-conductor of sound, in order that its workings may'be silent.

(I Zaims.

words, figures, or'other characters arranged thereon,

and rotated directly by electro-maguctism, substantially as described.

Witnesses: WESLEY D. SMITH.

JAMES H. MANDEVILLE, GEORGE E. WISE. 

